Jung Se-kyun to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "You Should Not Take Such an Attitude" Regarding Opposition to Gadeokdo Act

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is answering reporters' questions during an open regular briefing for all ministries at the Government Seoul Office briefing room on the 25th. 2021.2.25 Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on the 25th addressed government ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) that opposed the enactment of the Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act, stating, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport should not act as if the law has already been enacted," and added, "The special law was passed through bipartisan agreement in the National Assembly (Standing Committee), so it is not desirable to ignore that and express opposing views."

During a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in the afternoon, Prime Minister Chung said, "The government will respect the law if the legislation is properly enacted by the National Assembly." He emphasized, "Issues such as lame-duck periods or election purposes are irrelevant to the government."

Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reportedly submitted an opposing opinion against the political move to enact the Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act, citing economic feasibility and stability concerns. The ministry submitted a 15-page report to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee stating that "supporting the Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act would violate the duties of public officials." This opposition from the responsible ministry to the rapidly promoted Gadeokdo New Airport project, which is intertwined with the interests of both ruling and opposition parties ahead of the April Busan mayoral by-election, caused a stir.

However, Prime Minister Chung explained the background of MOLIT's stance by saying, "Before the special law was passed, 'upgrading Gimhae Airport' was the government's policy, so public officials had no choice but to respond based on that," and added, "After the special law is passed, the government should decide how to act according to the special law."

The special law is expected to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 26th. Prime Minister Chung reiterated, "The executive branch has the obligation to enforce the law once legislation is enacted."

Regarding recent allegations of discord between the ruling party and the Blue House over the so-called 'speed control theory' on prosecutorial investigation reform, Prime Minister Chung said, "Personally, I strongly support the separation of investigation and prosecution, and believe it is favorable for protecting citizens' rights," but also noted, "There will be issues such as whether the timing is appropriate and whether preparations are sufficient." This statement is interpreted as leaning toward a 'speed control' approach to prosecutorial reform.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chung plans to hold regular briefings on current issues for reporters covering all ministries. This is intended to break from the usual practice of the press corps and explain issues 'directly' to the public. However, in reality, most of the questions at this briefing were from the press corps.

Prime Minister Chung said, "Dismantling or closing the press corps would be very unwise, and I have no plans or thoughts to do so," but added, "There are side effects to the press corps system, and the public is concerned especially about the reporters covering the Seocho-dong area (prosecutors' press corps), which I think is a valid concern." He continued, "If there are problems, it would be good to improve them," but also said, "Those improvements should be made by the reporters themselves."